England wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings has revealed he underwent two operations to remove a malignant melanoma skin cancer last year.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Billings recalled he attended a skin cancer screening organised by his county cricket club Kent in 2022 during which a doctor opined that a particular mole in his body ‘didn’t look great’.
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“It’s a full body screening where they look at every mole. There was one on my chest, by no means the biggest mole on my body, that the doctor, Andy Birnie, said didn’t look great. They decided I needed to have it removed so they could take a look at it,” said told the publication.
Two weeks later, he received a call from Ashford Hospital informing him to be at the facility the following morning with the Birnie informing him that the melanoma was on the threshold of getting really serious.
“I didn’t sleep well that night. In the morning Andy told me that I had a melanoma that was 0.6mm [deep]. The threshold of when it gets really serious is 0.7mm, so really close. If I had left that screening to go to the meeting, and waited until my next one six months down the line it could have been far, far more serious. The margins are so small but can have massive consequences,” the 31-year-old said.
He eventually underwent operation recalling how “At one point the anaesthetic didn’t work well so I was in huge pain. But I was home that night to begin my recovery.”
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“I never realised how much your chest affects everything else, just moving my arm was extremely painful. Mentally it was definitely more challenging than physically,” he said.
The entire experience, Billings says, has given him clarity in life and put things in perspectvie.
“It did give me the clarity of making decisions based on what I want to do rather than maybe just toeing the line and being seen to do the right thing. I have tried to do that over the years and it’s sometimes resulted in carrying drinks. You realise that cricket isn’t the be all and end all. It’s hugely important but you need to put things in perspective. It’s also made me much more empathetic,” he said.
He also hopes his story will help others to stop being so indifferent about skin damage.
“I’ve been that classic Brit abroad, as a 22-year-old with fairer hair in Australia thinking that it was worth going a bit red to end up brown. And at home you see it all the time, it gets to 12 degrees and sunny, all the tops come off. I didn’t think I’d be the guy who got skin damage. I hope people see my story and think twice,” Billings said.
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